Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940)
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Synopsis of Abe Lincoln in Illinois
Raymond Massey plays Abe Lincoln in this moving adaptation of Robert Sherwood's Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Expanded a bit for cinematic purposes, the film traces Lincoln's progress from his days of scrambling for a living as a woodsman, to his courtship of the tragic Ann Rutledge (Mary Howard) and then the mercurial Mary Todd (Ruth Gordon), to the formative years of his law practice, to his debates with Stephen Douglas (Gene Lockhart), and finally to his election as President of the soon-to-be-divided United States in 1860. Latter-day critics have complained about Massey's stolidity in his signature role, but even the most stone-hearted viewer will be moved by such scenes as Lincoln riding through the ruins of what once was the village of Salem; Abe's heated election-eve quarrel with his spiteful wife Mary; and his climactic speech from the observation car of the train that will carry him to Washington...and immortality. Abe Lincoln at Illinois turned out to be a succes d'estime for its producer Max Gordon and its studio (RKO), taking a bath to the tune of $750,000. Its failure moved one Hollywood wise-guy to collar Gordon at a party and say, "I can't understand it, Max. Lincoln was so kind to everybody but you." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Complete Cast of Abe Lincoln in Illinois
- Raymond Massey - Abraham Lincoln
- Gene Lockhart - Stephen Douglas
- Dorothy Tree - Elizabeth Edwards
- Minor Watson - Joshua Speed
- Howard Da Silva - Jack Armstrong
- Maurice Murphy - John McNeill
- Clem Bevans - Ben Battling
- Herbert Rudley - Seth Gale
- Roger Imhof - Mr. Crimmin
- Edmund Elton - Mr. Rutledge
- George Rosener - Dr. Chandler
- Sid Saylor - John Johnston
- Peggy Ann Garner - Little Girl
- John Cromwell - John Brown
- Alec Craig - Trem Cogdall
- Ruth Gordon - Mary Todd Lincoln
- Mary Howard - Ann Rutledge
- Harvey Stephens - Ninian Edwards
- Alan Baxter - Billy Herndon
- Aldrich Bowker - Judge Bowling Green
- Louis Jean Heydt - Mentor Graham
- Harlan Briggs - Denton Offut
- Andy Clyde - Stage Driver
- Leona Roberts - Mrs. Rutledge
- Florence Roberts - Mrs. Bowling Green
- Fay Helm - Mrs. Seth Gale
- Elizabeth Risdon - Sarah Lincoln
- Trevor Bardette - John Hanks
- Napoleon Simpson - Gobey
- Charles B. Middleton - Tom Lincoln
- Director(s):
- John Cromwell
- Writer(s):
- Grover Jones, Robert E. Sherwood
- Producer(s):
- Max Gordon
- 1940 - Film Daily - 10 Best Films
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